Clips and Pics

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: 2012 Election

Mark McKinnon, Nov. 6, 2012, Shorenstein Center Speaker Series. It’s been a long campaign season, at times resembling a spaghetti Western starring Clint Eastwood. We saw moments that were both good and bad for the presidential candidates, and some rather ugly moments for the country. But as we look back, there were 20 clear turning points in the 2012 election. Listen here. See Storify here.

_____

PIC: Institute of Politics at Harvard Study Group

Political Disruption: Where It’s Coming From & Why We Need It. A study group led by IOP Fellow Mark McKinnon. The evidence is everywhere. Americans are unhappy with our political system. Voters have lost faith in the government and political parties. Only 10 percent of voters believe Congress is doing a good job. Ten years ago, people were frustrated, but largely apathetic. Today, with economic discontent, foreign conflicts unresolved and pressing public policy issues unattended, increasingly citizens are engaging in organizations and movements designed to break the existing framework. We will examine why such deep dissatisfaction exists within the system. And then explore the interesting ways in which people are organizing to reform the system. Read more.

_____

PIC: Media Innovation Day, The Ad Club, Boston

The Political Power of Social Media.Mark McKinnon with Wael Nawara, writer and activist profiled in TIME Magazine’s 2011 “Person Of The Year: The Protester” issue, and moderator John Della Volpe, founder and managing partner of SocialSphere, Inc., discussing the disruptive power of social media, evident all around the globe, shaping and influencing how we view our political candidates here at home. (Photo courtesy of Wael Nawara.)